None.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to keyboards, and particularly to arrangements of keys on keyboards that facilitate easy and rapid acquisition of typing skills. This invention relates especially, but not exclusively, to electrical keyboards for encoding electrical signals representing alphanumeric and other readable characters, and to electrical keyboard arrangements that can be easily learned by novice typists.
2. Background Art
Personal computers are now so widely used that many persons who formerly had no need to learn to type find they must for computer data inputting, word processing, communicating via electronic mail, and internet browsing. With the rapid proliferation of personal computers in the workplace, the home, and schools, the ability to quickly and intuitively learn the key layout is critical. This proliferation has created many new, non-traditional keyboard users and has created a class of persons, those unable to master the predominant, QWERTY layout, who are at a substantial disadvantage in the burgeoning computer revolution. The xe2x80x9cUniversalxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cQWERTYxe2x80x9d keyboard arrangement (FIG. 1) was originally adopted for typewriters in the 1870s by inventor C. L. Sholes and his colleagues in an attempt to reduce the frequency of jamming of type bars during typingxe2x80x94if two typebars were near each other, they would tend to clash into each other when typed in succession. To fix this, the most common letter pairs or digraphs in English usage, such as xe2x80x9cTHxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cSH,xe2x80x9d were assigned to keys that were separated such that their type bars had sufficient time to fall back far enough to be out of the way before the next one came up. In adopting the QWERTY arrangement, little or no attention was paid to arranging the keys in ways that would make it easy to learn the keyboard. The QWERTY arrangement does not organize the individual keys in an intuitive, easy-to-remember manner, creating great difficulty in the memorization of the keyboard format. As a result, many users resort to highly inefficient typing methods, such as xe2x80x9chunt and peckxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ctwo-finger typing,xe2x80x9d that require the user to maintain eye contact with the keyboard to locate specific keys.
Another well known keyboard arrangement is the Dvorak system, which was designed to be easier to learn and use; see U.S. Pat. No. 2,040,248 to A. Dvorak; see also, R. C. Cassingham, The Dvorak Keyboard (Arcata, Calif.: Freelance Communications, 1986). The Dvorak style keyboard arrangement (FIG. 2) places the most common consonants on one side of the middle or home row and the vowels on the other side so that typing tends to alternate key strokes back and forth between the hands. Although in theory and by reputation, the Dvorak keyboard arrangement makes typing easier to learn (e.g., a typist can type about 400 of the English language""s most common words without ever leaving the home row), recent scholarship indicates that these claims for it remain unproven, and they may even be a hoax. See S. Liebowitz and S. E. Margolis, xe2x80x9cThe Fable of the Keys,xe2x80x9d J. Law and Econom. 16: 1-25 (April 1990).
Other approaches to these problems can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,053,647, 6,084,576, 5,498,088, and 2,040,248. Each one of these suffers, however, from one or more of the following disadvantages:
1. The keyboard arrangement does not provide an intuitive easy-to-remember key location format;
2. The keyboard arrangement is designed to enhance typing speed, not to provide an intuitive, easy-to-remember key location format;
3. The keyboard arrangement is designed to aid and assist the expert typist rather than the novice; and
4. The keyboard arrangement does not rely on learnable skills that can be readily acquired by young and elderly users.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a keyboard that overcomes the problems associated with the QWERTY and other prior art keyboard arrangements by assigning alphanumeric and other symbols to the keys in such a way as to provide an intuitive, easy-to-remember arrangement that facilitates efficient and effective keyboard use for all types of keyboard users. The present invention fulfills this need by grouping symbols according to the line elements comprising the symbols that all symbols within the group have in common, and by assigning symbols within the same group to logically grouped keysxe2x80x94for example, to keys within the same row or column. Japanese dictionaries commonly list characters according to the order and arrangement adopted by xe2x80x9cKohki-jitemxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cgyokuken,xe2x80x9d such that characters are classified and grouped in the order of the number of strokes and the kinds of strokes or radicals that comprise the characters; see P. M. Suski, The Dictionary of Kan-Ji or Japanese Characters (S. Pasadena, Calif.: P. D. and Ione Perkins, 1942), at 206. But, the present invention""s grouping of symbols and assigning of the symbols to keys in a keyboard arrangement based on the line elements that comprise the symbols, in order to facilitate learning to type, appears to be wholly novel. Even though letter forms vary so widely that one might argue, as has Douglas R. Hostadter in Metamagical Themasxe2x80x94Questing for the Essence of Mind and Pattern (New York, N.Y.: Basic Books, 1985) at 274, that xe2x80x9cthe essence of A-ness is not geometrical,xe2x80x9d there is sufficient geometrical regularity in commonly used fonts and typefaces to usefully sort letters, numerals and special characters into xe2x80x9cattribute classesxe2x80x9d based upon their geometric forms.
In a first aspect of the invention, a keyboard arrangement is provided that comprises a plurality of manually actuable keys in a fixed array of at least three rows, sequentially numbered from a first, top row, to a last, bottom row, and at least nine columns, numbered sequentially from left to right. At least some of the keys correspond to letter, number, punctuation and special character symbols in a given language. Actuation of a key causes information corresponding to the symbols assigned to the key to be conveyed to information receiving means associated with the keyboard arrangement. One or more attribute classes is defined according to the number, position, direction, or contours of the lines that comprise the symbols. Keys are assigned to at least one of the attribute classes such that there are at least three keys in each column of at least nine columns that correspond to symbols within the same attribute class. Twenty-six attribute classes are defined for this first aspect of the invention, as follows:
(1) symbols having a top right oblique line and exemplified by K, k, W, w, X, x, V, v, Z, Z, /, %;
(2) symbols having a centrally-disposed, horizontal line and exemplified by A, E, F, H, +;
(3) symbols having a straight line intersected by a straight line extending leftwardly and exemplified by X, x, Z, z, y, T, A, H, 4, #, +;
(4) symbols having a left convex curve and exemplified by C, c, G, O, o, a, d, e, q, g, S, s, 6, 0, (, @, and;
(5) symbols having a partial or complete loop and exemplified by U, u, C, c, G, Q, o, O, @, %;
(6) symbols having a double curve and exemplified by S, s, B, m, g, 3, 8, $, and, {tilde over ( )};
(7) symbols having a right convex curve and exemplified by B, b, D, P, p, R, S, s, O, o, 0, 2, 3, 9, 5, );
(8) symbols having a horizontal line and an intersecting, downward extending line, exemplified by T, t, Z, z, E, 4, 7, F, +, #;
(9) symbols having a single vertical line and exemplified by L, l, I, J, j, T, t, P, p, D, d, E, F, f, K, k, B, b, q, l, !, ¦;
(10) symbols having a top left oblique line and exemplified by K, k, W, w, M, N, V, x,  ;
(11) symbols having a straight vertical line with a line projecting at a right angle and exemplified by E, F, H, T, f, t, +;
(12) symbols having a curve open at the bottom and exemplified by h, m, n;
(13) symbols having lines converging superiorly and exemplified by K, k, W, w, X, x, M, N, A, {circumflex over ( )};
(14) symbols having lines converging inferiorly and exemplified by K, k, V, v, W, w, X, x, Y, y, M, N;
(15) symbols having lines converging to the left and exemplified by K, k, X, x, Z, z,  less than ;
(16) symbols having lines converging to the right and exemplified by X, x, Z, z, 7,  greater than ;
(17) symbols having two, vertically-separated, horizontal lines and exemplified by Z, z, E, F, =, #;
(18) symbols having two, horizontally-separated, vertical lines and exemplified by H, h, M, m, N, n, U, u, #;
(19) symbols having a line and a closed loop at one end of said line, and exemplified by b, d, P, p, q, R, 6, 9;
(20) symbols having a closed loop on the top and exemplified by P, p, q, B, R, 9, 8, %, and;
(21) symbols having a closed loop on the bottom and exemplified by B, b, d, 6, 8, %, and;
(22) symbols having a closed loop on the left and exemplified by d, g, q, %, and;
(23) symbols having a closed loop on the right and exemplified by B, b, P, R, 6, %;
(24) symbols having a curved line constituting an incomplete loop and exemplified by C, c, G, j, m, n, U, u, 2, 3, 5, ?, (,);
(25) symbols having a line that projects below the line of writing, and exemplified by j, p, q, y; and
(26) symbols having a straight horizontal line exemplified by e, E, f, F, t, T, z, Z, 2, 4, 5, 7, xe2x88x92, _, A, F, H, L, #, B.
Thousands of fonts and typefaces have been developed over the years, examples of which are depicted in Lewis. Blackwell""s Twentieth Century Type (Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1992) and in Jan Tischold""s Treasury of Alphabets and Lettering (Omega Books Ltd., Herfordshire, U.K., 1985). Therefore, the term xe2x80x9cexemplified by . . . , xe2x80x9d as used herein and as applied to any set of alphabetic, numeric or special character symbols, shall be understood to be referring to all symbols that have the same meaning and use as said symbols, regardless of the particular font or typeface that is used to depict the symbols. Thus, for instance, the phrase xe2x80x9cexemplified by d, g, q, %, andxe2x80x9drefers to all font versions of lower case forms of the letters d, g, and q, and all font versions of the symbols % and and, including, for example, versions of those symbols within the Helvetica, Futura, Gothic, Italic, and any other fonts that contain recognizable versions of those symbols; also included within the phrase xe2x80x9cexemplified by . . . xe2x80x9d are versions of the listed symbols that are sans serif as well as versions of the listed symbols that include serifs.
In a second aspect of the invention, at least some of the keys correspond to a paired combination of an upper case symbol of a letter with a lower case symbol of the same letter, and the keyboard arrangement further comprises shift means for selecting between the upper and lower case symbol of said letter. In particular, for keyboard arrangements adapted for use with the Roman alphabet, the paired upper and lower case letter symbols are exemplified by A and a, B and b, C and c, D and d, E and e, F and f, G and g, H and h, I and i, J and j, K and k, L and l, M and m, N and n, O and o, P an p, Q and q, R and r, S and s, T and t, U and u, V and v, W and w, X and x, Y and y, Z and z.
In a third aspect of the invention, at least three keys in any one column correspond to symbols in the fourth attribute class, i.e., symbols that include a left convex curve, and at least three keys in any one other column correspond to symbols in the seventh attribute class, i.e., symbols that include a right convex curve.
In a fourth aspect of the invention, at least three keys in any one column correspond to symbols in the sixth attribute class, i.e., symbols that include a double curve.
In a fifth aspect of the invention, at least three keys in any one column correspond to symbols in the first attribute class, i.e., symbols having a top right oblique line.
In a sixth aspect of the invention, at least three keys in any one column correspond to symbols in the second attribute class, i.e., symbols having a centrally-disposed, horizontal line.
In a seventh aspect of the invention, at least three keys in any one column correspond to symbols in the third attribute class, i.e., symbols having a straight line intersected by a straight line extending leftwardly.
In an eighth aspect of the invention, at least three keys in any one column correspond to symbols in the fifth attribute class, i.e., symbols having a partial or complete loop.
In a ninth aspect of the invention, at least three keys in any one column correspond to symbols in the eighth attribute class, i.e., symbols having a horizontal line and an intersecting, downward extending line.
In a tenth aspect of the invention, at least three keys in any one column correspond to symbols in the ninth attribute class, i.e., symbols having a single vertical line.
In an eleventh aspect of the invention, at least three keys in any one column correspond to symbols in the tenth attribute class, i.e., symbols having a top left oblique line.
In a twelfth aspect of the invention, at least some of the keys correspond to an upper case symbol and a lower case symbol selected from the group of paired upper and lower case symbols comprising / and 2, xe2x88x92 and 3, + and 4, (and 6, % and 0, $ and 8, and 9, # and 7.
In a thirteenth aspect of the invention, the number of columns is ten and the keys in columns number 1 through 10 correspond to symbols in attribute classes 1 through 10, respectively.
In a fourteenth aspect of the invention, the keys in columns 1 through 10 in any one of the rows correspond to the paired upper and lower case symbols / and 2, xe2x88x92 and 3, + and 4, (and 6, % and 0, $ and 8, ) and 9, # and 7, ! and 1,   and 5, respectively.
In a fifteenth aspect of the invention, the keys in columns 1 through 10 in any one of the rows correspond to the paired upper and lower case symbols V and v, H and h, Y and y, C and c, U and u, S and s, D and d, T and t, I and i, N and n, respectively.
In a sixteenth aspect of the invention, the keys in columns 1 through 10 in any one of the rows correspond to paired upper and lower case symbols W and w, F and f, A and a, G and g, O and 0, B and b, P and p, Z and z, J and j, K and k, respectively.
In a seventeenth aspect of the invention, the keys in columns 1 through 10 in any of one of the rows correspond to paired upper and lower case symbols xe2x80x3 and xe2x80x2, E and e, X and x, @ and ., Q and q, : and ;, R and r, ? and ,, M and m, respectively.
In an eighteenth aspect of the invention, the keys in columns 1 through 10 in the first row correspond to paired upper and lower case symbols / and 2, xe2x88x92 and 3, + and 4, (and 6, % and 0, $ and 8, ) and 9, # and 7, ! and 1,   and 5, respectively; the keys in columns 1 through 10 in the second row correspond to paired upper and lower case symbols V and v, H and h, Y and y, C and c, U and u, S and s, D and d, T and t, I and i, N and n, respectively; the keys in columns 1 through 10 in the third row correspond to paired upper and lower case symbols W and w, F and f, A and a, G and g, O and 0, B and b, P and p, Z and z, J and j, K and k, respectively; and the keys in columns 1 through 10 in the fourth row correspond to paired upper and lower case symbols xe2x80x3 and xe2x80x2, E and e, X and x, @ and ., Q and q, : and ;, R and r, ? and ,, M and m, respectively.
In a nineteenth aspect of the invention, the attribute classes further include a twenty-sixth class of symbols having at least one curvilinear line and exemplified by C, c, G, g, U, u, S, s, B, b, D, d, P, p, R, r; and a twenty-seventh class of symbols having no curvilinear line and exemplified by V, v, W, w, H , F, E, Y, A, T, Z, I, i, L, l.
In a twentieth aspect of the invention, the keys that correspond to capital letter symbols in the twenty-sixth class are distributed substantially among four columns only.
In a twenty-first aspect of the invention, the keys that correspond to capital letter symbols in the twenty-sixth class are distributed substantially among four adjacent columns only.
In a twenty-second aspect of the invention, the keys that correspond to capital letter symbols in the twenty-seventh class are distributed substantially among at least five columns.
In a twenty-third aspect of the invention, the four columns are centrally disposed and said at least five columns are outlier columns disposed to the left and the right of said four columns.
In a twenty-fourth aspect of the invention, each one of at least some of the keys corresponds to a paired combination of an upper case letter symbol with a lower case symbol of the same letter, further comprising shift means for selecting between the upper and lower case of said letter symbol. These paired combinations may be exemplified by A and a, B and b, C and c, D and d, E and e, F and f, G and g, H and h, I and i, J and j, K and k, L and l, M and m, N and n, O and o, P an p, Q and q, R and r, S and s, T and t, U and u, V and v, W and w, X and x, Y and y, Z and z.
In a twenty-fifth aspect of the invention, a keyboard arrangement comprises a plurality of manually actuable keys in a fixed array of at least three rows, numbered sequentially from a first, top row, to a last, bottom row, and at least nine columns, numbered sequentially from left to right, at least some of which keys correspond to upper and lower case letter symbols, and at least some of which keys correspond to number, punctuation and special character symbols, in a given language; and shift means for selecting between the upper and lower case form of each letter symbol. Information corresponding to said symbols is to be conveyed to information receiving means associated with the keyboard arrangement. Each letter symbol is assigned either to a first, curved class if the symbol includes a curved line or to a second, noncurved class if the symbol lacks a curved line, and each column within a set of at least four columns has a key that corresponds to either an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol in the curved class and at least one other key that corresponds to an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol that is assigned to the curved class, and each column within a set of at least five columns has a key that corresponds to either an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol in the noncurved class and at least one other key that corresponds to an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol that is assigned to the noncurved class. The letter symbols assigned to the curved class may be exemplified by a, B, b, C, c, D, d, E, e, f, G, g, h, J, j, m, n, O, o, P, p, Q, q, R, r, S, s, U and u; and the letter symbols assigned to the noncurved class may be exemplified by A, F, H, I, K, k, L, l, M, N, T, t, V, V, W, w, X, x, Y, y, Z, z.
In a twenty-sixth aspect of the invention, in an arrangement that includes the immediately foregoing aspect of the invention, the keys that correspond to capital letter symbols in the twenty-sixth class are distributed among adjacent columns.
In a twenty-seventh aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes the immediately foregoing aspect of the invention, the capital letter symbols assigned to the curved class substantially all correspond to keys in four centrally-disposed columns, and the capital letter symbols assigned to the noncurved class substantially all correspond to keys in outlier columns.
In a twenty-eighth aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes the immediately foregoing aspect of the invention, each column that contains at least two keys that correspond to letter symbols in the curved class also contains at least one key that corresponds to a number symbol in the curved class.
In a twenty-ninth aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes the immediately foregoing aspect of the invention, the number symbols corresponding to keys in the four centrally-disposed columns all belong to the curved class. In a thirtieth aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes the twenty-seventh aspect of the invention, the letter symbols assigned to the noncurved class substantially all correspond to keys in the centrally-disposed columns, and the letter symbols assigned to the curved class substantially all correspond to keys in outlier columns.
In a thirty-first aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes the thirtieth aspect of the invention, the number symbols corresponding to keys in outlier columns all belong to the curved class.
In a thirty-second aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes any of the twenty-eighth through thirty-first aspects of the invention, the number symbols assigned to the curved class are exemplified by 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 0.
In a thirty-third aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes the twenty-fifth aspect of the invention, all keys corresponding to letter symbols in any one column all correspond to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a left convex curve exemplified by a, c, C, d, e, g, o, O, Q, s, S, and all keys corresponding to letter symbols in any one other column correspond to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a right convex curve, exemplified by b, B, D, j, J, o, O, p, P, Q, R, s, S.
In a thirty-fourth aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes the twenty-fifth aspect of the invention, all keys corresponding to letter symbols in any one column all correspond to the upper or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a vertical, straight line exemplified by b, B, d, D, E, f, F, h, H, i, I, k, K, l, L, m, M, n, N, p, P, r, R, t, T, u, U, and all keys corresponding to letter symbols in any one other column all correspond to the upper or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a horizontal straight line exemplified by A, B, e, E, f, F, H, t, T.
In a thirty-fifth aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes the twenty-fifth aspect of the invention, all keys corresponding to letter symbols in any one column all correspond to the upper or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a top-left oblique line exemplified by k, K, w, W, M, N, v, V, x, and all keys corresponding to letter symbols in any one other column all correspond to the upper or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a top-right oblique line exemplified by k, K, w, W, x, X, V, V, z, Z.
In a thirty-sixth aspect of the invention, a keyboard arrangement comprises a plurality of manually actuable keys in a fixed array of at least three rows, numbered sequentially from a first, top row, to a last, bottom row, and at least nine columns, numbered sequentially from left to right, at least some of which keys correspond to upper and lower case letter symbols, and at least some of which keys correspond to number, punctuation and special character symbols, in a given language. Shift means is provided for selecting between the upper and lower case of each letter symbol. Information corresponding to said symbols is to be conveyed to information receiving means associated with the keyboard arrangement. Keys corresponding to letter symbols in a first column correspond to the upper or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a left convex curve exemplified by a, c, C, d, e, g, o, O, s, S, keys corresponding to letter symbols in a second column correspond to the uppercase or lowercase form a letter symbol that contains a right convex curve exemplified by b, B, D, o, O, p, P, Q, R, s, S, keys corresponding to letter symbols in a third column correspond to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a vertical, straight line exemplified by b, B, d, D, E, f, F, h, E, i, I, k, K, l, L, m, M, n, N, p, P, r, R, t, T, u, U, keys corresponding to letter symbols in a fourth column correspond to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a horizontal straight line exemplified by A, B, e, E, f, F, H, t, T, keys corresponding to letter symbols in a fifth column correspond to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a top-left oblique line exemplified by k, K, w, W, M, N, v, V, x, and keys corresponding to letter symbols in a sixth column correspond to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a top-right oblique line exemplified by k, K, w, W, x, X, v, V, z, Z. These correspondences may apply to all keys in a given column or to they may apply to substantially all keys in a given column.
In a thirty-seventh aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes the third aspect of the invention, a substantial number of the keys that correspond to numbers also correspond to punctuation or special character symbols such that said keys correspond to one or more pairs of symbols selected from the pairs 2 and /, 3 and xe2x88x92, 4 and +, 6 and (, 7 and #, 8 and $, 9 and ), 0 and %.
In a thirty-eighth aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes the thirty-sixth aspect of the invention, the keys that correspond to numbers and that also correspond to punctuation or special character symbols are all within the same row.
In a thirty-ninth aspect of the invention, a keyboard arrangement is provided that comprises a plurality of manually actuable keys in a fixed array of at least three rows, numbered sequentially from a first, top row, to a last, bottom row, and at least nine columns, numbered sequentially from left to right, at least some of which keys have been preassigned to correspond to a first set of upper and lower case letter, number, punctuation and special character symbols in a given language alphabet; shift means for selecting between the upper and lower case symbols; and computer hardware or software means for reassigning the preassigned keys to correspond to a second set of upper and lower case letter, number and special character symbols in the same or a different language alphabet. At least some of the second set of symbols that correspond to the keys are assigned to at least one of a plurality of attribute classes according to the number, position, direction and contours of the symbols. There are at least three keys in each of at least nine columns that correspond to symbols within the same attribute class. Information corresponding to said second set of symbols is to be conveyed to information receiving means associated with the keyboard arrangement. Preferably, the computer means for reassigning the preassigned keys comprises:
(a) an initializing component that initializes said software means;
(b) a keyboard hook installation component;
(c) a keystroke detection component that detects the stroking of a key that has been preassigned to a symbol within the first set of symbols;
(d) a keystroke trapping component that stores a first digital code for identifying said key;
(e) a reassignment component that reassigns said key to a symbol in the second set of symbols using a lookup table and dictionary combination that, for each key, maps a first digital code for said key that corresponds to a preassigned symbol within the first set of symbols into a second digital code that corresponds to a symbol within the second set of symbols;
(f) a keyboard buffer insertion component that inserts the second, reassigned digital code into a keyboard buffer that communicates with the information receiving means; and
(g) a keyboard hook removal component that removes the keyboard hook when there are no additional keystrokes detected. The attribute classes can be any one or more of those set forth in the second aspect of the invention, supra.
In a fortieth aspect of the invention, in a keyboard arrangement that includes the third aspect of the invention, all keys that correspond to number symbols are within the same row and consecutively arranged in numerical order from left to right as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0 in columns 1 through 10, respectively.
In a forty-first aspect of the invention, a keyboard arrangement is provided that comprises a plurality of manually actuable keying means in a fixed array. Each keying means can be manipulated into any one of at least three states by slight movement of a single finger of a typist. The three or more states of the keying means correspond to letter, number, punctuation and special character symbols in a given language. At least some of correspond to the keying means are assigned to at least one of a plurality of attribute classes according to the number, position, direction or contours of the lines within the symbols such that either
(A) there are at least nine keying means, each keying means corresponding to at least three symbols within the same attribute class, wherein the attribute classes are any one or more of those set forth in the second aspect of the invention, supra; or
(B) there are a curved class of symbols, each of said symbols having a curved line, and a noncurved class of symbols, each of said symbols lacking a curved line, such that there are at least four keying means that correspond to either an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol in the curved class and at least one other keying means that corresponds to an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol that is assigned to the curved class, and there are at least five keying means that corresponds to either an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol in the noncurved class and at least one other keying means that corresponds to an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol that is assigned to the noncurved class; or
(C) a first keying means corresponds to the upper or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a left convex curve exemplified by a, c, C, d, e, g, o, O, s, S;
a second keying means corresponds to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a right convex curve exemplified by b, B, D, i, J, o, O, p, P, O, R, s, X;
a third keying means corresponds to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a vertical, straight line exemplified by b, B, d, D, E, f, F, h, E, i, I, k, K, l, L, m, M, n, N, p, P, r, R, t, T, u, U;
a fourth keying means corresponds to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a horizontal straight line exemplified by A, B, e, E, f, F, H, t, T;
a fifth keying means corresponds to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a top-left oblique line exemplified by k, K, w, W, M, N, v, V, x; and
a sixth keying means corresponds to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a top-right oblique line exemplified by k, K, w, W, x, X, v, V, z, Z.
It is an object of each aspect of the invention to provide a keyboard arrangement that is so easily understood, so intuitive, and so easily memorized, as to facilitate easy and rapid mastery of typing.
It is another object of the invention to provide computer means for converting any keyboard arrangement into any one or more of the above-listed aspects of the invention.